Let the record show that the it was the nomination of Patricia Millett (right) to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that triggered the first major changes to the Senate filibuster rules since 1975. It is her nomination that Harry Reid is using to move to change the rules, which requires only a simple majority vote.
I honestly never thought it would come to this. Democrats have threatened the so-called nuclear option for so long — well, in truth both sides have, for much of the last decade or so — that it became a sort of background noise to our national politics.
But would Democrats really go so far as to do it? It seemed remote to me.
So what is happening now is a rare change to the Senate rules, the consequences of which for the Senate, this President, the presidency, and the future remain very uncertain. Even Harry Reid can’t really know how this will turn out in the end.
It’s something to behold. You should watch the proceedings.
Harry Reid just announced on the Senate floor that he will move to change the filibuster rules. What we expect is that Reid will in the next few minutes bring up one of the Obama judicial nominees for a vote. When Republicans filibuster, Reid will formally call for a rules change and bring it to a vote. Senate Democrats will prevail on a simply majority vote and the filibuster as we know it will no longer apply to executive branch nominees and judicial nominees below the Supreme Court.
An irate Mitch McConnell is speaking now, calling this move a raw power play and an attempt to distract from the Obamacare problems.
